Dutch Court Upholds Ban on Foreigners Buying 'Pot'

A Dutch judge has upheld a government plan to prevent foreigners from buying marijuana in coffee shops in the Netherlands by turning them into private clubs for Dutch citizens only.

The decision to uphold the new "weed pass" plan represents the biggest rollback in years to the traditional Dutch tolerance of marijuana use, the Associated Press says.

The plan, which would also limit memberships to 2,000 Dutch citizens per shop, will take effect May 1 in the southern provinces and spread to the rest of the country, including Amsterdam, next year.

In a written ruling, the court agreed with the government lawyer that the fight against criminality linked to the drug trade justified the measure.

The conservative Dutch government sought to crack down on "drug tourists" who drive over the border from Belgium and Germany to buy a large amount of marijuana and take it home to resell.

The government argues that the flood of tourists causes traffic and public-order problems in towns and cities along the Dutch border.

That argument, however, has drawn criticism from coffee shop owners, particularly in Amsterdam, where public order and traffic issue is virtually non-existent.

Instead, the AP notes, the small, smoke-filled coffee shops are visited by thousands of tourists each year - mostly youngsters who consider smoking a joint to be part of the essential Amsterdam experience alongside visiting cultural highlights and the canals.